Unmasking Caricature

Amelia Rauser

The Philadelphia Alumni Writers House welcomes Amelia Rauser at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 18, to discuss her new book Caricature Unmasked: Irony, Authenticity and Individualism in Eighteenth-Century English Prints.

Rauser, associate professor of art & art history, will discuss researching her book and the role caricature has played in political discourse since the 1780s. Her book examines the meaning encoded in the form of caricature.

“Caricature filled a need to understand politics not as the wrangling of interests, but rather as the actions of real individuals whose authenticity needed to be evaluated. Caricature unmasked the pretensions of individuals, attempting to reveal their authentic, interior selves,” Rauser said.

“First invented in the studios of artists in 17th-century Rome, caricature wasn’t used for published, political representation — the main way we experience it today — until around 1780, when it invaded the bustling print market of 18th-century London,” she said.

Lunch will be provided. Rauser’s talk is co-sponsored by the Department of Art & Art History.